Ar-Rub-al-Chali is the largest sandy desert on Earth, located in the southeastern part of the Arabian Peninsula, mainly in Saudi Arabia. It covers an area of 225,000 square miles, its substrate is Cretaceous and Tertiary limestone covered with Quaternary sands and dunes. ¹⁾

Sweet crude oil is defined as crude oil with a small number of sulfur compounds. It fetches the highest prices because it is the easiest (and cheapest) to process and transport further. In the 19th century, oil prospectors tested the quality of crude oil organoleptically by tasting it. Oil with a low sulfur content is actually slightly sweet. ²⁾

The emblem of Saudi Arabia depicts a green palm tree with two crossed oriental sabers below it. The color green is the symbol of Islam. All this reflects life in the desert, defended with all zeal. The emblem was adopted in 1950. ³⁾

The Port of Jeddah is the “gateway” through which pilgrims arrive at Mecca and Medina. The lighthouse built-in 1990 in the port of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia is considered the tallest structure of its kind in the world. The tower with a steel and concrete structure is 436 ft high. At the top of “Jeddah Light,” there is an observation point with a balcony. The lighthouse broadcasts a flash every 20 seconds. ⁴⁾

Women in Saudi Arabia were able to vote independently for the first time in the December 12, 2015 elections. Countries, where women have no or very limited voting rights, remain in 2016. Brunei and Lebanon. ⁵⁾

The Middle East (formerly the Levant), is a geographical region located at the junction of Asia, Europe and Africa. It mainly includes countries located in southwestern Asia. The most common countries in the Middle East include Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Israel with Palestine, Yemen, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Syria, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. ⁶⁾

Saudi Arabia is the only country whose coastline runs along the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. Most of its terrain consists of dry deserts, lowlands, steppes, and mountains. ⁷⁾

Saudi Arabia has a hot and dry desert-tropical-continental climate that is one of the harshest in the world (one of the hottest areas on Earth). ⁸⁾

The vegetation cover of Saudi Arabia is very poor. The dominant vegetation formation is ephemeral vegetation (plants with a very short life cycle) and dryland (dry thorny shrubs, dry grasses). The main tree species are date palms. Plant density is marginal, and forested areas in this country occupy about 1% of the land area. ⁹⁾

In the south of the country is the Ar Rub’ al Khali desert (the few local Bedouins call it Ar-Rimal - “sand”), which is the largest sand desert in the world. ¹⁰⁾

Arabia is one of the driest regions in the world. There are virtually no rivers, there are only dry valleys wadi. ¹¹⁾

Thanks to its low population density, the animal world is rich in Arabia. ¹²⁾

In the waters of the Red Sea, from north to south, stretches a coral reef estimated to be 5000-7000 years old. ¹³⁾

The history of Saudi Arabia in its present form as a nation-state began with the emergence of the Al Saud dynasty in central Arabia in 1744. ¹⁴⁾

The second-largest monotheistic religion, Islam, was established in Arabia. ¹⁵⁾

The largest oil fields are located on the coast and shelf of the Persian Gulf. Saudi Arabia is estimated to have 25-30% of the world's oil reserves. It also produces natural gas, rock salt, gold, and rock resources. ¹⁶⁾

Al-Jubail, a city on the Persian Gulf, is home to the world's largest seawater desalination plant. ¹⁷⁾

Saudi Arabia is one of the few absolute monarchies in the world today. ¹⁸⁾

In Saudi Arabia, there is a Committee for the Propagation of Virtues and Prevention of Evil (known as Mutawa). ¹⁹⁾